Virginia seems on its way to boasting an official state reptile, and snake lovers have an 11-year-old boy to thank for it.

Del. Brenda Pogge, R-James City County, let her young constituent Aiden Coleman do most of the talking Tuesday when the House of Delegates’ General Laws Committee took up her bill, HB335, bestowing the state’s official imprimatur on the Eastern garter snake.

Legislators representing the Historic Triangle in the Virginia General Assembly shared their outlook for the upcoming session during a forum hosted by the Greater Williamsburg Chamber & Tourism Alliance.